BEIJING, China — Hundreds of doctors and medical personnel have been drafted in from China’s military to treat patients infected by the deadly new coronavirus, the country’ state media reported Sunday.
As the number of dead in the country topped 300, China’s state news agency Xinhua reported that 1,400 medical specialists would staff a new hospital in the city of Wuhan, where the disease is believed to have originated. NBC News has been unable to verify the report.
Built specifically to handle patients with the coronavirus, it took workers just 10 days to complete work on the Huoshenshan Hospital which has a capacity for 1000 beds, intensive care units and sections for diagnosis and infection control, according to Xinhua.
Construction of the hospital began on Jan. 24, and it’s expected to open its doors on Monday. A second dedicated hospital with 1,300 beds is also expected to be ready by Feb. 5.
The report came as it emerged that the number of confirmed cases in the country had grown to 14,380 and 304 people had died from the disease, according to Chinese health officials. Nearly 137,600 people are under medical observation, they said.
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